Hearts of Glass
by Authorqueen
Summary: Christmas Eve, 2016. The family is home and Harry could not be happier. But he of all people should know Happily Ever After couldn't last. Haunted by both old prophesies and enemies, threating to tear his family apart, starting with his children. R&R PLZ!
1. Happily Ever After

-:- Happily Ever After -:-

Christmas is always a busy time of year, for all families, but when it comes to Christmas, Gryffindor Hall is probably one of the busiest households you could find, but also one of the happiest.

Lily laughed joyfully at the sight of her father, who had somehow got tangled up in the Christmas streamers. Ginny giggled at her husband, saying "Tenth year in a row. Is this becoming a tradition?" Harry smiled through the gold ribbon apologetically, and shaking her head, Ginny helped him out of it, whilst Lily rolled around on the floor, still chortling.

Gryffindor Hall was a large house set in central Godric's Hollow, a proud, Red brick house with Ivy climbing its face, and although the trees were bare and snow was piled deep on the ground, the house still looked warm and appealing, with muggle fairy lights entwined in the tree branches, and holly boughs decking the window sills. Everyone in the Hollow, Wizards and Muggles alike, treated the Potters with respect and warm kindness, as they were legendary, especially Mr Potter, and because the Potters were a pleasant enough family. Godric's Hollow no longer whispered of forlorn regret and loss, it was alive again, and so much different to a certain Christmas that was still clear in Harry's mind, 19 years ago.

There were three family house-elves, a young, pretty elf called Bonny, a spunky elf named Windil, who was extremely fond of young master James and his antics, and a rather old, ancient, but still loyal Kreacher. They, along with their across-the-road neighbours, Ron, Hermione and Hugo, were doing all they could to prepare for the annual Christmas gathering. Bonny and Hermione were in the kitchen with Ginny, busily working away, the sticky smell of gingerbread wafting through the house. Lily, Hugo and Kreacher would sit wrapping presents, which was a task fit for Hercules in itself! The old elf would still have the odd chortle when his young mistress got too carried away with the sellotape. Meanwhile, on a rather tall ladder, Harry, Ron and Windil would be wobbling about, decking the halls with as many tasteful decorations as possible, Ron singing rude muggle carols at the top of his lungs:

_The Shepherds watched their flocks by night_

_Whilst seated on the bank,_

_The angels came from heaven above_

_And taught them how to-_

"RON!" Hermione yelled from the kitchen.

Ginny sighed. "No doubt he learnt that one from Peeves..." Windil giggle quietly.

The snow drifted by the window panes, the air cool, yet warm with happiness. Harry and Ron grinned at their work, Windil graciously accepting his master's wish to take a break as he flopped onto the nearest couch. With a look at his battered watch, Harry smiled saying "Kids will be arriving soon." And he and his best friend turned to the front door, to where the cars were parked.

Platform 9 ¾ was not as busy as it had been in September, but the noisy bustle was still constant. The station had been decorated with streamers and holly, and soft fairy lights with real fairies in them, much alike the ones decorating the interior of Gryffindor Hall. Harry heard the train before he saw it, the scarlet engine entering the platform as majestically as ever. It slowed to a stop, and the sudden surge towards the train was almost breath-taking, like a tsunami wave slamming you into the shore. It was simple to see the boys, not because of their own appearance, but because of little Rose and her shocking red hair, like her fathers. There were words of welcome and Christmas greetings being passed around like a disease, and it would be a shame not to catch this outbreak of happiness and contentment.

"See you in a couple days, eh lads?" yelled a voice. George beamed at Harry and Ron, his own son, Fred, in tow. Harry nodded, then called back "Don't give James too many pranks this year, last year a Dung bomb was going off every other day, thanks too you!"

George shrugged "Why squander a lad with so much talent? The grandson of a Marauder, the possibilities are endless!"

Harry groaned "Don't remind me!"

When they returned home, Molly Weasley had already arrived. She smiled apologetically as she said "I couldn't wait, I knew it would suit her perfectly." Harry's confusion didn't last long as his daughter bounded into the room, wearing a scarlet red dress. It came just below her knees, and the pink netting underneath made the skirt stand slightly, like a tutu bottom. Her knee-high, white socks had a red check frill, and her scarlet shoes shone in the cosy firelight. In her copper hair, Lily wore a holly berry clip, which also shone in it's own, waxy way. Harry grinned "For once, you look like the little princess I always thought you'd be, and yet, you seem to stick to jeans."

Ginny grinned at her daughter, saying "Yeah, well. Having older brothers does that to you, doesn't it, Lil?"

Lily nodded "I am not a little damsel waiting to be rescued."

Harry laughed, whilst James, who finally snapped out of his daze that had hit him when he saw his sister, said "Heck, we all knew that. Your more like Xena princess warrior than Fairy Princess."

"And don't you forget it!" she shouted, swirling around. As usual, her hair flew out around her, making her seem alight, her hair like flames. Harry knew he'd have to have the boys looking out for her at school; she would grow up to be stunning.

The days flew by like the torrents of winter snow, the Hollow looking like something you'd find on a Christmas card. Christmas Eve finally came, along with the whole tribe, hence what the family had been preparing for. Arthur and Molly, Bill, Fleur and Victoire, Charlie and Yvette (a Romanian girl he met a few years ago), George, Alicia , Fred and Remus, Percy and Marie (a sweet intern at the Ministry), Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo, and, of course, Teddy and his grandmother, Andromeda. It was a good thing that Gryffindor Hall was very much like the tardis, even though it already looked grand from the outside! Laughter, jokes, the bottom of the Christmas tree totally invisible, due to mass amounts of presents, everything felt right. No, not just right…perfect.

That was, until Harry spotted something, or rather, lacked spotting something.

"Where's Al?"

James, who was going through chocolate frogs with Fred and Teddy, mouth smudged with chocolate, said "He said something about taking a walk."

Harry nodded at his son, then mumbled something about being back soon to Ginny, then promptly walked through the front door, pulling on a long, black coat as he went. Ginny looked round at her family apologetically, then said "Anyone for Yule Log?"

The wind was cold and unforgiving. It's icy blasts punished anyone who wasn't at home, being with their loved ones. Harry pulled his black gloved hands in his pocket. Albus better have a good reason for this…

Then it struck home. Harry had no idea where his son was. The only reason he steps through the front door is to visit Rose or the Hollow Library. Since the Library was closed and Rose was at Gryffindor Hall, Harry was left clueless. "Albus!" he yelled "Al, where are you?! Albu—"

Movement…in the graveyard…the Graveyard?! What on earth was Albus doing there?! On Christmas eve, of all days?! He walked hurriedly to the kissing gates, trending carefully on the icy pavement. The frost encrusted grass crunch under Harry's shoe as he made for the small figure of his younger son. The shadowed person stood from his kneeling position, Harry was close enough to hear small mumblings. Albus turned, smiling, then stood stock still, his face obviously shocked. "D-d-dad?"

Harry looked him in the eye, tapping his foot, waiting for answers, but all Al said was "Er…what are you doing out here?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Looking for you. But the question is…" Harry took his son's wrist. "What are YOU doing out…" his voice trailed away as he noticed something on Albus' finger. A gold ring, with a shattered, black stone, the very ring Harry had felt slip through his fingers as he walked into Voldemort's circle, facing mortal peril. Harry's eyes turned slowly from Albus' hand to his face.

"Albus…where did you get this?" Harry breathed slowly. Albus didn't say a thing, only gazed at the crunchy, dewy grass, shuffling his feet. Harry's tone grew more urgent.

"Where did you get this, Albus?!"

Al shook his head "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Harry forced his son to look at him, to make him understand his worry. "Try me."

Al sighed. "Granddad gave it to me."

Harry was confused. "Arthur?"

"No," Albus replied, shaking his head "Granddad, but he told me to call him Prongs."

Harry looked at his son, shocked. He waited to hear "April fool", but that would have been stupid. And Albus doesn't lie. He never lies, especially to Harry, who can always tell when Al's lying, it's all in the eyes. Still shocked, Harry looked over his son's shoulder, to the white, marble tombstone, which now read:

_James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,_

_The first hope that is shared is love._


	2. Brutality

**-:- Brutality -:-**

Albus sat quietly by the fire. The party was still alive, even with Harry's bewilderment creeping through the house's atmosphere. But Harry's confusion was nothing compared to Albus.

The sounds of his family echoed around him like whispering ghosts, voices in his head, shouting and screaming in torment and anguish, and murmurs of dark spirits seeping through his mind, beckoning him, lulling him, trying to trap him in his own world.

Albus held the ring in his hand. Something was wrong with it, like a memory of pure evil. The dark stone gleamed in the fire light, the gold band twinkling. He slipped it back on his finger. The ring was dark magic, but this way no-one else was being harmed from it. His eyes moved from the ring to the fire, the flames reflecting in his acid-green eyes... Echoing... echoing...

"Albus?"

Al started, woken from his trance. He turned to see Teddy, his brown eyes filled with concern. "Al, what's wrong?"

Albus shrugged "I'm okay, Ted. Just tired maybe."

Teddy shook his head. "I know tiredness when I see it, and your not it. Maybe slightly out of it, but not in a sleepy way." He pointed at the ring on Albus finger "It has something to do with that, doesn't it."

Albus looked at Teddy with interest. "Since when have you been a legimens?"

"Since you ve been like a lil brother to me. I know you, Al. I've known you all your life he lowered his voice but not as much as your Dad does. And Harry knows things the rest of the wizarding world will never understand, talk to him."

Albus turned to look behind him, where Harry was talking to Ron in hushed tons, probably discussing the Graveyard. Albus shook his head. "He's busy, maybe later."

Teddy looked him in the eye, and Albus sighed. "I promise I will try to talk to him as soon as possible."

"Marauder's promise?"

Al rolled his eyes but replied "Marauder's promise." anyway. He knew his family were concerned for him; he had been missing for a good hour. If he wasn t going to talk to Harry, the least he could do was apologise to him. Teddy, satisfied he d done what he could, left Albus and went searching for Victoire. Albus stared into the fire again, finally left to his thoughts, when

_Kill him_

Albus eyes widened. Who'd said that? What s going on?

_Kill him!..._

The voice was harsher, more urgent this time. It had sounded like a strangled whisper, like a hiss.

_Kill him! Kill him!_

Albus turned around to see who was saying it, who was yelling in his ear. "James, knock it off!" he yelled. James turned to him "I ain t doing anything, mate."

_KILL HIM!_

"I said, KNOCK IT OFF!"

The room went quiet, everyone stared at Albus, who felt like crying. He was scared now really, really scared. Was he going mad? What's with the voices resounding in his head? He looked around at his startled family, each looking slightly concerned. His eyes met with his fathers, and two things happened.

"Argh!" Harry cursed as his scar twanged with pain, a great shock after all this time, whilst Albus shuddered as a chill cascaded over him as the voice screamed _**KILL HIM!**_

"Please help me." Al whimpered, then fell t the floor, unconscious.

-:-

"Mum! Mum! He's coming round! His eye just flickered, I saw it!" Blurry figures moved above Albus. He was lying down, that much he knew, and James face was fading in and out of view, a flushed, pink and black blur with squared glasses that winked in the light. Albus groaned.

"Ha! Told you he was awake! Told you! Told you, told you, told you, told you, tol-"

"James, shut up."

Ginny face now appeared above him, just a blurred as James . "Hey, sweetheart. You okay?"

Albus didn't move, he felt sick. He was wondering why his eyes wouldn t come in to focus, when it struck him. Duh! Glasses! His hand scrabbled over the bedside table, searching for his glasses. He could faintly make out Ginny's kind smile as she slipped his glasses on for him. Now he could see clearly, he could see he was in his bedroom.

It seemed to be itself, the cool blue walls pasted with Quidditch posters, mostly his favourite seeker Viktor Krum. Why his mother and father had found this so amusing, Al never did find out. His toy broom leant on the mahogany bookcase, filled with old books, like The tales of Beedle the Bard and his own collection of Muggle fairy tales, like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood, amidst aged books of his parent that they'd given him, Hogwarts: A History, Quidditch through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and where to find them and a rather pristine, untouched looking copy of History of Magic donated by his Father. The curtains were drawn, but light still streamed through them, Morning. Ginny dabbed his head with a cool, damp cloth, murmuring to herself. He looked down at his hand. The finger with the ring was swollen, the ring irremovable.

Footsteps. Someone was coming upstairs. Albus was glad, yet annoyed. Half of him wanted to be left alone, to think, whilst the other half was afraid to be alone, the reason being that when Teddy left him to think, that voice had squirmed into his head, making him doubt his own sanity, and it scared him.

The door opened. Ginny turned to face the door, nodded, stood up, and ushered James out of the room. It was quiet suddenly. Too quiet. Tendrils of doubt began to ensnare him, when a voice, though soft it was, broke through the spell, saving Al from the voice once more.

"Hey, Kiddo."

Albus nodded in response. Harry sat at the end of Al's bed, with a smile that screamed concern, worry, and hinted kindness and love. "What's going on?"

Al shook his head. Harry leant over to him, saying "Not to worry you, but something is really wrong, REALLY wrong. The last time my scar hurt was 19 years ago, and that was specifically for one reason. Don t lie to me, Al. You know I can read you like a book. Tell me what's wrong."

Albus sighed. Of course. Dad knew how his emotions were revealed in his own eyes, it was pretty much the same with Al's. Inhaling deeply, Albus spoke. "It's the ring. I think it's cursed or something. I keep hearing this voice, a really scary voice, but it sounds strangled, hissing, almost, and it repeats the same thing."

"What s that?"

Albus let his eyes lower to his hands. "Kill him."

Harry nodded. "Listen, Al. That ring your wearing used to contain a piece of soul, a soul so evil, so damned, he was the darkest man to walk the planet. He..." Harry trailed off, considering what he was going to say. He d never said much about his past to his children, better leave them oblivious than fearful. But this ring matter may change that.

Al noticed his father s silence, then said "Go on."

Harry sighed. There was no easy way of saying this, so why not just be blunt? "That man was the man who murdered your Grandparents, My Mum and Dad. I escaped death that night, because the curse rebounded off me. That s how I got this." He brushed his hair away, revealing his scar. Al nodded, slightly awestruck.

"After that, I was number one on the guy's hit list. From year 1 to year 7 of Hogwarts, I was fighting that man fighting for my life." He suddenly realised how dark he was getting, so he hurriedly smiled at Al and said "But in 1998, I finally killed him, ending his evil reign. It caused a lot of drama, I don't think Hogwarts has been the same since. But since that man died, my scar has never hurt me." he looked Albus deep in the eye "...until now."

Al nodded. "Dad, I'm sorry. I never meant to-"

BANG!!!

The explosion shook the whole house.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, POTTER!" A shrill voice shrieked. Harry and Albus ran to the kitchen, or what was left of it. The entire wall had been blasted away, and three people in dark cloaks and skull masks leered at him. Ginny was sobbing on the floor, next to some rubble. It took Harry all of ten seconds to learn why.

James, eyes closed, lips parted, his bottom lip cut, his glasses broken, his face bruised. Harry felt the cold tears pour from his eyes. He turned to the three death eaters, realising he knew them. The Carrow Twins and Pansy Parkinson. He drew his wand, screaming "YOU BASTARDS! MY SON IS DEAD!"

Pansy cackled into the air, then disapperated, along with her comrades. Harry rushed to the rubble, hurrying to realease James from the torn ligaments of their house, when Ginny made a strange, terrible noise, like a half scream, half sob. "They've taken Lily! _THEY'VE TAKEN LILY_!!!" Her ribs shuddered with pain, her body heaving with grief, as she howled with sorrow. Harry roared with anger, and with one sharp movement, removed James from the pile of debris. He then looked around. "Where's Albus?" he murmured. "Albus?! ALBUS!"

-:-

The world was finally set in stone, perfect, happy, peaceful. But then the world, my world, was shattered. I'd lost everything to the darkness. And there was nothing I could do.


	3. James?

**-:- James? -:-**

Even though the hall's maintenance kept the place warm, a cold, bitter, bereaving sense of loss flowed through St Mungo's.

Hermione and Ron had appeared moments after the death eaters left, to find Ginny sobbing, clutching at what seemed to be her dead son, whilst Harry threw jinxes and curses at every breakable object in sight, angry, sorrowful tears leaking from his eyes.

It had taken all of five minutes to make the couple see sense, and then a moment more to reach St Mungo's ER. And now they sat, waiting. Ginny sat with Ron and Hermione, hysterically, but quietly sobbing about each of her children in turn. Harry sat alone, Ron and Hermione knew it was better to leave him be at the moment. Harry's thoughts were contorted with hate and suffering, his breathing was shaky and quick, like he was panting after running the marathon. He wanted to be sick, he needed to be sick, but he felt empty, and his throat and mouth were dry enough as it was, without the bitter taste of stomach acid.

Footsteps, though light in reality, sounded loud and clear on the echoing hall floors. The four adults looked up at the witch dressed in green. She had tears brimming in her eyes, but she spoke in a different tone. "I'd say you passed on some of your survival traits, Mr Potter, because your son has done nothing short of a miracle, by coming out with only a minor coma."

Harry stood with the speed of light "Is he awake?"

The healer shook her head. "No, but he's on his way to full recovery."

Harry felt himself heave with disappointment, but a ray of hope had entered his dark prospects, James was alive. Harry looked at his wife, who was wiping the tears from her eyes. He knew what was racing through her head; James was safe, but what about Lily and Albus. Harry sighed "I'm going for a walk."

Ron nodded, and turned back to his sister, who was watching the healer mournfully as she made her way back up the white hallway.

-  
St Mungo's. Harry had been here before, but to see Arthur Weasley after his run in with Nagini, Voldemort's snake. Since then, he had only one reason to return, well, actually three, and that was in a totally different ward. The kids, why did everything Harry thought of relate to the kids? It finally struck him, and the pain was unbearable. Breaking into fresh tears, but tears of mourning, mourning the fates of his children. They'd done nothing! They were innocent! They'd never seen war in their life! They were innocent! They were innocent It wasn t long before Harry learnt he d been screaming this out with tainted anguish, the sound of his pained voice bouncing off the corridor walls. He slumped onto the floor, crying quietly, his head buried in his arms, how long he stayed like that, he didn't know. How many people passed him, with a confused, curious face, he did not care. Even past the grave, Voldemort was torturing Harry, ripping away all he loved and cherished ripping away his soul. He wiped away the remainder of his tears, gathered what remained of his dignity, and stood up.

And that's when he saw him.

He had bandages on his arms and legs and head. His split lip had a scab, but his eyes gleamed luminescent amber, alive, but dazed. Something about his aura glowed, but thankful he did not glow himself. His black hair was tousled, making it even messier than normal. Harry heard footsteps behind him, then a familiar squeal. The footsteps quickened to a run, Harry knew it was Ginny, but he didn t break eye contact with James. Something was different. Something was wrong. Harry's eyes widened as he held out an arm to barricade Ginny. Confused, Ginny cried "Harry! It's James!"

"No, it s not."

"Yes, it is." Spoke James, but not in his voice, it was deeper than any twelve year old should have.

Harry frowned. "You re not my son."

James shook his head. "You re right, of course. But my name is James. My wife calls me Pimb, short for pain in my butt , and my friends call me Prongs. But I assure you, my name is James."

Harry noticed something glint on James finger. The resurrection ring. "Where'd you get that?"

James smiled. "Albus was here moments ago, left it in my possession. He knew I needed to talk to you. You sure have a remarkable child on your hands."

He boy stepped forward, a sharp gust of wind, a swirl of mist surrounded him, and stepping forward again, was an adult version of James, unharmed, dressed in a claret red jumper and jeans. Harry had seen this man before, in the forbidden forest, 19 years ago, as he walked to his death. James Potter, his father. He heard gasps from behind him. Ron and Hermione had joined them. James smiled and said "I haven't got much time, there is a prophecy I must recite." His eyes dimmed with slight bitterness "Why is it that it's your life that's riddled with prophecies, Harry?"

Harry didn't reply, only waited. Noticing this, James obliged, taking a deep breath:

_"The son of those who defied _him_ thrice,_

_And he himself denied death twice,_

_Will sire three children and know no stranger,_

_That all three hearts are in mortal danger._

_The child whom bears his successor's face_

_Will face his fate in a were-boy's grace,_

_The lone flower will face her doom_

_By the grave, bathed by the blood red moon._

_But the son whom hath his father's eyes,_

_Whose name is riddled with secrets and lies,_

_Shall grant one life with his own end,_

_Be it for foe, be it for friend,_

_Lest his heart be torn in two,_

_Only then will he be no threat to you._

As said my Morag, the dark enchantress, cousin of Arthur, mourner of Avalon."

Harry's eyes were wide. He stuttered slightly as he asked "What does that mean?"

James sighed. "The Blood Moon has incredible power. It can make the most docile person, who has only a trace of were-wolf blood, become a savage beast. It also can force the life-force of one person to the dead body of another. But it s Al you need to worry about. I gave him the ring on Christmas Eve, to make him aware of the dark soul hiding inside him. Not just any dark soul" James looked at Harry with a foreboding look, "HIS soul. And the Death eaters won't stop until they sacrifice Al in order to revive HIM once again."

Harry fell to his knees. "He can come back? HOW? WHY? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

His hands grabbed at his hair, his green eyes frantic. "I must go now" murmured James voice. The mist descended once again. Harry crouched on the floor, trying desperately to understand. A warm hand rested on his shoulder. Harry looked up to see his battered son, looking worriedly at him. Harry held his arm wide, and was thankful to feel his son's warm body, heart beating, rib cage rising and falling, alive, against his as they shared an embrace. Ginny knelt next to them and joined, silent tears of bitter sweet joy falling from her eyes. Harry held his family close, praying that the two members missing from his arms were alive. His contorted mind cleared, with only one goal. "I won't let him come, I won t let him hurt you. I'll protect you." His whispers were more for himself than James and Ginny, as his eyes rose upwards to the white hospital ceiling.

"I promise."


	4. Beyond the Graveyard

-:- Beyond the Graveyard -:-

Albus trudged onward, down familiar, winding roads. The air was cool and clean, the wind tousling his jet black hair. These Christmas holidays felt unreal, like he was living someone else's life, someone on the edge of life and death, someone who was alone.

The cold bit at his exposed skin as he trampled through the crisp snow. He had returned to Godric's Hollow, only briefly though, to say thank you. Thanks to his deceased grand parents, he was wary of the darkness crawling beneath his skin. He trudged his way to the kissing gate, his heart pounding against his chest. An hour ago he was in London, taking from his parents vault, seeing his brother, battered and bruised. The ring had somehow slipped off his finger, as if it wanted to be left with James. Albus had only been too happy to oblige, the sleuthing voice had almost possessed him the last few hours. The knight bus had been crowded, people hurrying to get home to their children, whose Christmas holidays would be over soon. Albus couldn t go back to Hogwarts yet, he had to get rid of the evil essence inside his soul, only then could he return to his friends, his family.

He pulled his black cloak tighter, his glasses steamed slightly. He'd wrapped his scarf firmly around his neck and head, covering his nose and mouth. His claret-gloved hands were tucked beneath the cuffs of his jumper. His trainers were sodden with slush, but he knew he had to keep going. The soppy, muddy, crushed ice beneath his feet told him that many people had visited the graveyard today. Perhaps a funeral occurred that day, which, if you think about it, it would be quite odd, as it was Christmas day. Then again, maybe they came to lay holly wreaths and Christmas roses at the foot of their loved one's grave, to wish their souls, wherever they be, a merry Christmas. A smouldering whisper entered his mind;

_Pitiful, weak hearts._

Albus clutched at his ears, and strode onward, to his grandparent's grave. Tossing away the remains of the autumn lullaby violet they had left on Halloween, Al picked two roses from a nearby wreath and laid them at the foot of the marble grave, whispering "Guys, if you're here, answer me."

The wind rustled through the bare trees, the snow falling gently onto Al's cheeks. Nothing. No reply. Al sighed, and looked beyond the graveyard, into the field. The old Elm tree, where he'd first met them, stripped naked of its emerald leaves, it looked brutally dead, so different to back then...

-  
1 Year ago: Oscar Wilde was at it again. The chase was as tiresome as always, but Wilde was persistent. Albus, stumbling and tripping, ran from his pursuer with the speed of a cheetah, but with the agility and grace of a walrus. He clumsily picked his way through the school playground, legs pounding with protest. He could go no further. It was the choice of fleeing from school, or having his face pummelled, and Mum was getting sick of coming to school to take him home because of his accidents. Al knew his parents were busy, his Dad busy with Ministry business, whatever that was, and Mum was always doing errands for people round the Hollow, like Mrs Kintle, the resident Squib. The old bat was ancient. Whenever he went to her house, she kept talking about "I remember it like yesterday; lots of muggles, debris everywhere... poor dear... such a troubled boy." who she was talking about, Mrs Kintle thought obvious, but Al and James, the two Ginny normally dragged along with her to do the woman's cleaning for her (of course there was money involved, muggle money, yes, but still money), were always oblivious to whom the crinkled old prune was jabbering on about.

With such busy lives, why bother his parents with something as small and trivial as bullying? Albus looked around. The playground was full of kids. Albus had grown up in his brother's shadow. James was outgoing, James had good looks, James, James, James! Don't misunderstand though, Albus loved his brother unconditionally, but when it came to compatibility, James and Albus were like fire and ice. Total opposites. But James had always been there to help him out of sticky situations. Not now though, not today. Albus swallowed, gulping down his fear as he frantically searched for a way out of school. The school had taken to barring everyone in. Black, barred gates at every exit, with spikes on top. Most normal children would see them as tools of enjoyment, 'the black gates are base!' , but Albus knew what they were truly. They were barred gates, and school was a prison. His green eyes searched the hedges that surrounded the school, when he found it! A small gap in the hedge, wide enough for a skinny runt like himself, but certainly not a hulking boy like Oscar Wilde. Albus ran for it, the hedge's branches ripping at his uniform and skin. Tiny thorns cut into his hands and face, prickling him. He yelled as he freed himself of the bush, then ran to the first place he thought of, the church.

He sat in the cold, stone temple of god, the statue of Mary watching him peacefully. But Al felt anything but peaceful. He'd run away from school, there was no way school would have let it pass. Oscar would've told on him, and his parents would be furious. He couldn t go back, he just couldn t! The vicar appeared wearing a navy woollen jumper and jeans. When he spotted Albus, he jumped slightly, then said "I'm glad to see your eagerness towards the faith, Mr Potter, but its nine o clock at night! Perhaps you should go home."

Albus nodded quietly, and left the church. The air was chilled, but his school jumper was warm. He could stay in the graveyard for a bit longer. Without thinking, his feet led him to the white marble grave of his grandparents. He sat cross-legged in front of the tombstone, the breeze flitting through his permanently tousled hair, his eyes tracing the bright lettering. James and Lily Potter, the two people whom his brother and sister owed their namesakes. Albus thought quietly to himself. I owe two men my name, but I know neither of them. Of course, Al had inherited a third of his father's wizard card collection, and by some miracle had ended up with Albus Dumbledore, his father's first card, ever. It was the only way he knew the man whom he shared his name with.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Albus revelled in that sentence for sometime. How can death be destroyed? By whom? And why? as his thought swarmed round him like buzzing flies, Al noticed light. Firelight, flickering in the distance, beyond the graveyard wall, in the field. Intrigued, Albus began to clamber his way to the light, in his normal, clumsy fashion.

As he drew closer, he realised the light was no only firelight, but aura, Ghostly Aura. The sound of laughter reached his ears, the throaty chuckles, the girlish giggles, and the distinct, bark-like laughter. Al stopped in his tracks. One of them was looking at him. Dead in the eye. Al froze. He defiantly heard the words "We've got company."

The entire circle of ghosts looked at him, with reproach, curiosity or slight annoyance. Al could now see them all clearly. There was one man with long, black hair and grey eyes that gleamed with some sort of arrogance. 'Maybe it was that arrogance that killed him.' Albus thought quietly.

This man was sat between two other men. One had Mousy brown hair with wisps of grey, and patched clothes. The other wore oblong glasses, which were slightly askew, and his hair looked like he'd walked through a hedge backwards. 'Much like you did today, Al.' Albus thought sullenly. Next to each of these men was a woman. The one next to the shabby man had long, vivid pink hair, and the one next to the bespectacled one had long, flowing, dark red hair, and coy, sparkling green eyes. And last of all, sat between the two women, was a handsome man, who although was quite lean, had bright, black eyes, like onyx, and clean, glossy black hair. The only thing undesirable about the man s appearance was his hooked nose.

Behind them loomed a dark figure of the old elm tree. They looked at him questionably. Albus distanced himself from the light, to make sure they didn't see his face. He'd seen these people before, in family albums. Except the hook-nosed man, his presence was a mystery to Albus. Al stepped back, hoping he could edge away, then run back to the graveyard.

But the long, black haired man stopped him. "Ah-ah! It s far too late for boys like you to be out. Givvus your name."

Albus trembled. He wanted to run. Suddenly, the long-haired man vanished. Albus looked around, terror glinting in his eyes. When the man reappeared behind him, Albus screamed and turned to flee, but somehow he couldn't move, and he found himself walking towards the fire's warm glow. He fell to the ground with a soft thud, voices murmuring slightly.

The man with the glasses pointed a ghostly wand at him. "Name." he demanded.

Albus was near to fainting. "A-A-Albus Severus Potter, Sir!" he squeaked.

The ghosts looked at each other. The long-haired man asked "Who are your parents?"

Albus wanted to cry. He'd been avoiding them all night, but all he wanted at that moment was to be at home with his Dad. "Harry and Ginny Potter, sir!"

"Why aren t you at home, Albus? And don t call me sir, it makes me feel old." He turned to the hook nosed man "Honestly, Severus, didn't you feel like that? All those kids calling you sir ? I would have gone mad."

The hook nosed man didn't reply, his eyes were on Albus. The long haired man returned to Albus. "Answer me!"

"I ran away from school, my Mum and Dad would kill me!"

"Why did you run away?"

"I would rather run than let Oscar Wilde punch my face in again!"

"I see."

The red-haired woman slapped the men around the head. "For god's sake, you two! The boy is petrified, and you're not helping!" she turned to Albus. "It's ok, they're just evil, mean men who seem to have a knack for big egos and bullying."

Albus smiled weakly, the woman continued "My name is Lily, this is James, Sirius, Remus, Dora and Severus."

Albus looked at the group confusedly. "I think I know you guys..." his eyes widened "The Photograph!"

The six ghosts watched the boy in bemusement, you could almost see the steam erupting from his ears. "You're all in that photograph of the old order! Except you, but there are other pictures with you with Teddy as a baby" he said, gesturing at Tonks. She nodded quietly, her thoughts suddenly bitter and sad. Teddy, the son she never knew.

Remus smiled. "That'll be because Dora's his mother. We died soon after he was born."

Albus nodded solemnly. Harry had said it was something he and his godson had in common, never really knowing his parents, who died for a greater cause. That, and being the son of a marauder. Teddy was happy though, with his surrogate family, and a grandmother who loved him to bits. He had just left Hogwarts last year, and went into apprenticeship as an Auror with Harry as his teacher. Auror work was tough, but he said he wanted to fight like his parents did, and do them proud. Harry had said he knew the feeling. Then it hit him. He turned slowly to face the kind, red-head woman, who smiled at him, green eyes mirroring his own.

"You're Lily Potter, aren t you?" She smiled and nodded. Albus turned to the messy haired man with glasses. "And you're James. Dad's had a whole album of pictures of you guys since he was eleven." James looked touched.

"Does he talk about me at all?" asked the long-haired man.

Albus grinned. "Sirius Black; Azkaban escapee, confounder of Dementors and evader of the Ministry... who was killed by drapery."

The ghosts burst out laughing whilst Sirius sulked. "Is that what Harry's telling you? I have a good mind to go up there and throw a dung bomb on his head!"

Laughter filled the night, and Albus spent the night hearing stories of the Great War, the great feats fulfilled by Harry Potter that Albus father never told him about. Dragons and Basilisks and Phoenixes and Prophecies, Werewolves and Animagus and Polyjuice and Thestrals. Al wasn t sure he liked the sound of the Thestrals, they sounded scary. The number of things his father had seen, but never spoke of to his children was frightening.

_Harry's seen things the rest of the wizarding world will never understand..._

Did Teddy really know the extent which that phrases stretched over?

Albus listened quietly, tales of Hippogriffs and Inferi floating into the air like the mystic shapes the fire smoke made in the air, shifting tides of light and darkness, flickering in and out of consciousness...

-  
Albus had woken the next morning by a smouldering fireplace under the majestic Elm tree. The sun streamed through the dappled leaves, the wind rustling slightly. Albus watch told him it was Nine in the morning.

He'd been missing from school for eighteen hours.

Albus felt a pang of guilt, his parents would be terrified by now. He pulled himself from the mossy ground, his hair as messy as ever. He smiled, the thought of it reminded him of Granddad James last night. He scolded himself; 'He told you to call him Prongs!'

He scampered over the wall, his uniform was disgusting, with mud and grass stains. He dragged himself down the road and cringed as the Hall's gate creaked open. The sound always made his teeth grind.  
He saw his mother s pale face at the window. The way it illuminated at the sight of him was almost embarrassing. She flung the door open, crying out "ALBUS! Where have you been? Are you hurt? We ve been looking everywhere! Your Father and Teddy had a whole team of aurors searching for you! What happened? Sweetheart, I m so glad you re safe!"

His mother's coddling was unexpected. He expected her to go Grandma Weasley on him, doing what Dad called 'A stolen ford anglia: take two'.  
Ginny's relief was nothing compared to his little sister's, who was at school, year 3, waiting for the clock to stop plodding on so sluggishly and let her home. She was scared for her missing brother.  
Ginny had demanded that Albus take the day off school, she was worried she might lose him again. When Harry and Teddy arrived, apparently told by Ginny that he was safe, Harry was so close to tears of happiness it was unbearable. Albus knew his father's eyes as much as Harry knew his. 'I did this to them, I made them worry for me, I scared them because of my own selfishness'...

-  
Present Day: ...'And I'm doing it again.'

The dark figure of the boy strode into the darkness, through the graveyard gates, and then out of sight. What he didn t see was six ghosts watching him, worry etched on their faces, unable to interfere... just beyond the graveyard.


	5. Lily and the Maurauder

-:- Lily and the Marauder -:-

The fire flickered in the inky night, the eerie sound of fear. Strange, contorted shapes flickered as shadows of the graves lapsed at the floor. Soft cackling in the distance told Lily that they were still there still awake. She tugged at the chain that encased her ankle. It pinched her skin, but she didn't cry out. Something told her these people liked hearing other's pain.  
She curled herself by the grave the chain was connected to, her hair blown slightly in the soft breeze. She couldn't run, or call out for her parents. She was alone with dangerous people, and all she could do was wait.

-:-

They arrived at the Burrow late Christmas Day, where an anxious looking Molly came to greet them in amongst the torrents of snow.

"Ginny! Harry! Thank goodness your safe." She glanced down at the pale boy who stood between them, his arms and head still bandaged. James looked at her with doleful eyes. Molly melted immediately. "James! Good lord, look at you! Come in dear, have some cocoa with the others."

The Weasley kitchen was nothing short of cramped. At the kitchen table sat Arthur Weasley, playing, and losing at a game of exploding snap. With him sat Hugo, Rose, Fred, Victoire and her little brother, Caleb. James had only seen his cousin Caleb a few times, simply because the boy was always sick. Something to do with a vicious virus. Sometimes he had good days, sometimes he had bad, like last night, hence why he wasn t at the party.

Sat at the other end of the table were Hermione, Ron, George, Bill and Fleur. And lastly, leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping a coffee, was a nineteen year old Teddy Lupin, his sky blue hair streaked with baby pinks and aqua greens. It was strange that Teddy seemed to have a much broader imagination than his mother, either that or it's just the influence of the 21st century.

The kitchen looked exactly the same, homely, cottage-like. The only real differences were the pictures on the walls.

The pictures had been joined by more recent pictures, of a grinning Rose making a flower open and close, a curious Hugo peeking over her shoulder. The official opening of Weasley & Son's Wizarding Wheezes: Chicago. With George and his son Fred waving cheerfully at the cameraman. Victoire strangling her brother in a bear hug...Then Harry's heart fell.

Six people he knew extremely well, grinned at him. Himself and Ginny, with a two year old Lily sat on his lap. Ginny was laughing as four year old Albus struggled to no avail, simply to chase the geese that sat on the lake. Next to Harry, a boy with bright green hair, probably about twelve years old, watched Albus, also laughing, hugging a extremely dirty, wet, sulking James, who was like this because he'd fallen in the lake only hours ago. The sun dappled picnic set was forgone for now, clearing it up could wait. It was the first family day they'd had in ages, due to the amount of work Harry had been getting. The photo mocked him now. The faces of his family were now either scarred, filled with fear, or nowhere to be seen.

James walked quietly to his cousins, sitting next to Victoire. She hugged him, but softly, treating him like fragile glass. Rose sniffed, then looked to her mother. "I can't go! Not with Al missing! It wouldn't be right! I want to help!"

"I said no, Rose. You're going to Hogwarts." Replied Hermione, her voice soft, but firm. Rose slipped into silence, looking to her father with pleading eyes. Ron met her eye line, and slowly shook his head. Rose felt her heart drop as she broke into tears. "He's my best friend!" she sobbed.

Ginny stooped to Rose's level and hugged her tightly. "We're all worried about them." She said, her own hot tears spilling from her eyes, but her voice did not betray her "We're going to do everything, Rose. We won't give up until we find them. But you're only a first year. You're not ready."

Harry felt like pointing out he had fought a troll, giant chess sets and a possessed wizard in his first year and prevailed, but that wouldn't help his wife's cause.

Hours fell away as nightfall crept in. Fred helped James as he staggered towards the twin's old bedroom. Victoire helped her brother into Ginny's old room and closed the door gently, then made her way back downstairs. Hermione pulled a bitter Rose and Hugo up to Percy's old room, hoping that in such a room they would find no means of overhearing the conversation several stories below them. It was unlikely Percy would of harboured extendable ears in his desk or bed side cabinet.

The Order of the Phoenix had gathered once again. Neville, Luna and McGonagall had flooed their way there, and now stood, waiting for their current leader to speak.

Harry sighed. "Lily and Albus are missing, Lily was kidnapped by Parkinson and the Carrows."

Neville's eyes narrowed. He remembered that vile slytherin girl, Malfoy's regular little arm jewellery. He never expected her to be as desperate as this, to join the raving lunatics whom believed Voldemort still alive. "_The new vessel is here!"_ "_The dark lord never dies!"_ It was unnerving to hear, but the aurors normally dealt with it.

Harry continued. "Albus ran. We don't know why. But he's in serious danger if we don't find him."

Arthur perked up. "Percy and I have made sure the news is out. The ministry has been in contact with the muggle Minister, and posters will be distributed publicly."

Harry nodded. Progress.

Victoire stood slowly. "I'm not going back to Hogwarts, I'm going to help the search parties." Fleur began to protest, but Victoire cut across "No, Maman. I am of age, It is my choice. I want to help my cousins."

Fleur looked tearful, but Bill nodded. "Okay, sweetheart. But please be careful."

Teddy stood upright. "I'll look after her." He looked to Victoire, who smiled with gratitude. Teddy tried to smile back, but was unable. Although this was a harsh blow to everyone, no-one but Harry could understand him at the moment. They had rebuilt their family, the one that they lost in war and death, and now a looming threat of that family being torn apart was settling in. Teddy bit his lip. His eye was caught by Harry's, who'd been like a father to him. Understanding completely, Harry nodded, then began to talk again, but his words were blurred to Teddy's ears, as he stared at the picture, that picnic at lake district, on their holiday. James looking grumpily at the camera, as Teddy watched himself beam with happiness at the camera lens. Teddy felt sick.

-  
Lily woke up suddenly, her heart thumping. She looked around wildly. Nothing. A smouldering fire, but otherwise nothing. They were gone. She immediately tugged at her chain with all the strength she could muster. The links pinched her and cut into her skin. She whimpered, but kept pulling. This could be her only chance. She felt a small river dribble down her foot, whether it was sweat or blood, she couldn t tell. She gasped in pain as she tugged harder, but only seconds later she heard popping, and the sound of scrabbling. Flash!

The fire reignited, bursting into merry flame. They're back. Furious with herself, Lily ceased pulling. Now the fire was bathing her with light, Lily could easily she the great gashes in her ankle and the trickling scarlet that cascaded down her heel. The little nine-year-old felt like crying, this was too much, but she held on. Tears showed fear and weakness, and she was not afraid

Much.

The little girl tried to make out what the struggling thing was. It looked like a puppy at first, maybe a small dog. But as the death eaters dragged it closer, Lily realised it wasn't a dog, it was a wolf.

"Put him over there, wait for the moon to wane." Hissed a woman's voice. _A werewolf._ Lily backed away slowly, aware that one bite from this unpredictable creature could have her going on moonlit walks with him. They chained the werewolf close to her, probably on purpose. She trembled slightly, knowing she could move no further away, and she was still in easy reach. The wolf watched her for sometime, then curled up on the floor. That was it. Then it whimpered as the metal collar it wore, which was connected to his chain, dug into his neck mercilessly. Lily watched the creature's torment. It seemed almost tame, keeping itself under control. The poor thing couldn't even lick his wounds. It was sick, and horrid.

It soon melted into dawn, the sun caressing her skin. She looked around. The death eaters were not to be seen. She started to pull on her chain again, but a soft voice murmured "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

Lily spun round, her brown eyes meeting with grey. He had mousey hair and few scars on his face. _Of course!_ She thought, looking to the early sun. _He's human now._

She noticed he was no longer looking at her, but her ankle, which looked like she had been attacked by a werewolf. "That looks nasty," he continued "And you'll only make it worse."

Lily looked at it, nonplussed by its gruesome state. "I'd rather be missing one foot than stay here."

He smiled. "You're very brave, but I think it unwise. It'll be hard to run whilst hobbling on a bleeding stump that used to be a foot."

Lily opened her mouth, then shut it, defeated. The boy's smile widened. "That was an extremely good fish impression."

Lily wanted to laugh, but her lungs felt like lead. The boy nodded in understanding. "You're Lily Potter, aren't you? The girl that's missing. The whole country is looking for you, and your brother."

Lily perked "My brother?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he ran for it when the family was under siege. Nobody knows why."

"Which brother?"

"Albus, I think."

Lily looked at him curiously. "Who are you?"

The boy didn't look surprised at the question. "Call me Lupé."

"Lupé? Are you French or something?"

Lupé shook his head, but looked intrigued. "You know your French then?"

Lily smiled, "Yes, thanks to my Aunt Fleur."

Lupe grinned. "So what does Lupé mean in French?"

"Wolf" she replied simply. She then smiled to herself. _"Lupin..."_

Lupé's eyes intensified. "What was that?"

Lily, slightly startled by his tone of voice, answered "I have a god-brother, called Teddy. His surname is Lupin. His Dad was a werewolf, like you."

Lupé's eyes seemed to harden. "What else do you know about this Lupin ?"

"H-He was a friend of my Dad and Granddad, part of a group called the marauders, Lupé, what s wrong?!"

Lupe realised how aggressive he was getting, and calmed immediately. "Sorry, Lily."

He turned to look at the sky, knowing beyond the misty morning haze of periwinkle sky, the moon sat in an obsolete world of sheer loneliness and dark eternity, it's anger growing. He swallowed. When the moon turns red with rage we are all doomed

"Lupé?"

Lupé looked back at the girl, and was startled to see that her body language had changed, from timid and conserved, to curiosity and almost certainty, for what, Lupé found out milli-seconds later.

"Lupé's not your real name, is it?"

Lupé blanched. "I...I don't know what you mean."

She moved closer. "Your control over werewolf instinct last night was far more mastered than a twelve-year-old could pull off. You aren't a young boy who's just been bitten. You've taken years, decades even, to practise that control, didn't you..." she smirked

"Remus."


	6. Blood Moons and Werewolves

_Little AN: I know this is probably going to be a very annoying chapter because of the constant scene jumping. I was going for the idea of all of these events happing simultaneously, so I tried chopping scenes and shuffling them into each other, like a pack of cards. So if it causes anyone confusion or trouble. Queenie xx_

-:- Blood Moons and Werewolves -:-

This was it. His breath shuddered slightly as he inhaled the icy air of late January. A month had past since he'd sent Remus to take care of little Lily, despite the werewolf's disapproval. Albus knew if he had any sense of chivalry, he should be saving Lily, not sending others to do the dirty work whilst he stayed in hiding; but he couldn't risk being found by his family. Everyday he felt that darkness grow stronger within him. Since he had given James the ring, the voice couldn't contact him, it wasn't strong enough...yet. It was too risky being near his family; near enough to hurt them anyway. So he had to send Remus. Lily had a strong will, but somehow he wasn't sure that would save her from torture and death. He shakily breathed out again.

-:-

Lily could see Remus tensing up. His breath was uneven and deep. It was full moon, after all. The one thing Lily knew about Teddy's dad was that he was a werewolf. Lily had watched the boy become more and more haggard at the waxing of the moon. In the past month they had considered and disregarded numerous get away plans. The situation seemed hopeless, and with the Red Moon pending, a sense of danger was becoming more and more apparent. The twelve-year-old shuddered again, his limb quaking violently. She didn't know whether it was a trick of the light, but his eyes seemed a luminescent red.

-:-

Harry and Ron trod silent and evenly, like ghosts, through the St Mary's graveyard. They were searching slowly. Each team had a section of England to search, to check every graveyard for Lily. Tonight was the night, if they didn't find her, she'd die. Harry shook the thought from his head, scared enough as it was. Ron watched his old friend quietly, wanting to comfort him, but held back by his own thoughts. The air was chilled and tasted of mineral water, the half-spire church looming over them. Names past them, but that's all they were, names. The breeze tousled the men's hair as they strode silently through an iron gate, a sign saying 'St Mary's Church, Yatton' . Nothing stirred as they swirled out of sight, but fear lingered in the air.

-:-

_Lycanthropy what is that exactly?_ James was sat pondering his blonde cousin who was trying to explain his condition.

"...and so the Lycanthropic genes didn't mix too well with my Veela genes," he shook his hair slightly, as if adding emphasis "and so St Mungo's like to keep an eye on me, but I prefer Grandma's to any old hospital!"

"I second that!" James agreed grimly. It was something his father told him. There were two things Potter men kept in common; the attraction to red-heads and the loathing of the hospital bed. His father... God! Where was he? The moon was rising! Lily could be threatened at this very moment. Harry had made sure there were no werewolves near James tonight, Teddy was away, with Victoire, searching the graveyards of Sussex. James looked out the window nervously. The moon was up, with a distinct, red ring surrounding it.

-:-

It was tiresome, but they had to go on. Backwell. "How many bloody graveyards could North Somerset have?!" cursed Ron.

"Less than Northamptonshire last night, there were some villages with three cemeteries."

Ron groaned at the memory. "Cheerful bunch, weren't they?"

Harry smirked, then whispered _Lumos,_ illuminating the tip of the wand. The graveyard was bigger than St Mary's, and beyond the second wall, in the third area, was movement.

"Lily?!" Harry cried, racing towards the wall. When he got the place of movement, his hope extinguished. A young girl with brown hair and green eyes, nearly as bright as his own, looked at him in a confused way.

"Sorry." She smiled "I'm not Lily. I was just here on Mum's orders." She gestured to a grey, marble slab on the floor, which read Desmond Churchill and Maureen Churchill with gold letters. The girl continued.

"Mum wanted me to put some flowers here, as its Nanna's birthday in February." Her eyes saddened. "Died three days after my birthday, the poor heart. And the better grandmother s'well!" the poor twenty-odd year old looked choked. She began to hurry off, saying "Have a good evening!"

"And you too." Murmured a soft voice. A woman, with soft, curled white hair and forget-me-not blue eyes and wrinkled skin watched as the girl left. She then turned to Harry and Ron. "I hope you find your daughter, Mr Potter, for to lose is a pain. But to watch, unable to say or do anything... that is a curse." And with that, she faded away.

-:-

Lily watched the werewolf quietly. At first he slashed his own arm in his transformation, then settled, licking his wound. Lily wanted to help, but even if he had learnt self control, he was still a werewolf. Albeit a dead werewolf, but still.  
The shackle around her ankle had created a large bruise, she no longer tugged it though. The air was icy, wind howling. The fire had been blown out hours ago. She shivered slightly, the hair on her neck raised. She thought comically of them covered with icicles. Her chattered giggle was soft, inaudible. _This is hopeless_. She thought.

-:-

What was the word? What s the word? Well, putting it mildly... unexpected? Scary? James watched in horror, the moon's ruby glow basking the kitchen. Caleb had gone rigid, then began panting. Lycanthropy equals Werewolf. _But how?!_ James heard these thought stream through his head, surprised that they could, considering how numb his brain felt, especially as he watch long, lethal fangs protrude from Caleb s mouth. His eyes widened. _How?_

Frozen in terror, James stared as Caleb began to slowly unfurl himself, his clawed fingers splaying against the flagstone floor. He approached slowly, stalking his prey. Caleb only paused as a chair blocked his path. For a second, he stared at the chair. Then, with a loud roar, he flung the away into the kitchen wall, where it splintered with a deafening crash. Still James was tranfixed; he'd swatted the chair away as if it were no more than a fly!

Alerted by the crash, Molly came bombing into the kitchen, surprizingly agile despite her age. Taking one look at her mutated grandson, she immediatly drew her wand and started bombarding him with stunning spells. "JAMES!" Molly shrieked "GET TO SAFETY!"

Trance of fear broken, the panic began to grow in his chest.

Caleb is a were-boy, his Dad was infected by Grey-back.

He has werewolf traces in him.

_Caleb was the were-boy, not Teddy!_

Caleb was the threat! Caleb was gonna kill him! James hammered up the stairs, first floor, second floor, third floor, THWACK! He slammed the door to the top-most bedroom, which was his Uncle Ron s old room. The orange was overwhelming. How could the guy sleep with the colour?

SCLATCH!

James felt his head plummet back to earth. Were-boy at the door equals barricade the door! James grabbed his wand, yelling "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ at the bed. The bed hovered, then landed at the door. Hopefully, Uncle Ron won't mind. The action was repeated by the desk and the wardrobe. He heard a snarl. James sighed. Maybe that meant Caleb had given up? Hopefully it ha-

FWUNK! SCLATCH!

Nope, hadn't given up.

The noisy was terrifying, the sound of ripping wood and angry growls and roars. James had unconsciously been stepping back from the door, feeling the cool wall behind him was no comfort, that doorway was still too close.

Suddenly, without warning, the door ripped away. James' eyes met with cousin's, who watched him, seething, from behind the wardrobe. His pupils were red. _Oh god._ Thought James in despair, _Mum, where are you?_

_-_:-

Teddy fell to his knees. His body trembled manically, blood pumping through his head. Blood, he wanted blood.  
He watched fearfully as his pearly white fingers grew clawed and ragged, white hair bristling on his skin. It was pain beyond belief. His joints were breaking, then snapping back into place, but in the wrong way.  
He screamed, but only howled. He turned to his girlfriend, who was staring at him, horrified.

"Victoire!" His voice was gruff and hoarse, and was heard only as a vicious bark. Victoire jolted, but remained where she stood.  
Teddy gasped as he felt the pain end, only to see white paws where his hands should be.

Victoire stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Teddy?" she whispered, her voice cracked with terror. He nuzzled her hand, then licked it. The girl sighed with relief. "Your okay!"

Teddy looked back down at his paws, feeling doubtful.

-:-

Ginny stumbled slightly as she crossed the Yorkshire Dales. Her daughter was out there, and they were going to find her. Hermione had held her hand most of the night, which was comforting. The chilly air whispered in their ears, secrets that couldn't be made sense of by human ears. The gloomy silhouettes of the graves gave no sign of a captive girl. Ginny sighed. She would find Lily, and Albus, and everything would be alright. They would go on family outings again, maybe the Quidditch Cup final, if Harry wasn't busy with work. They could take Teddy along as well. They'd be a family again, like that long lost day at the lake district, seven years ago...

"Ginny?"

Ginny woke from her trance, her eyes back into focus.

Hermione watched her closely. "I don't think she's here, let's try another yard."

Ginny nodded quietly. A swirl of two cloaks, and the women were gone.

-:-

SCLASH! FLWUNK! CLRUSH! CRASH! SMASH!

James was a white sheet, his heart thudding a hundred mile per hour. The wall seemed to be ever colder as the beast-boy ripped at his wall. He watched in horror as the remains of the bed were flung away. The door was open, this was the end. James gripped at his wand tightly. He wasn't going without a fight.

Caleb moved heavily, like a dragging corpse. His face was still his own, but he'd grown a snout, and his ears were pointed. But that was not the worst part, the worst was the long, jagged fangs that were longing to plunge at his neck. James gulped. _All those time Teddy told me Dad was a great warrior..._ James wanted to sob with the ironic stupidity of the situation.

_God, Dad where are you now?_

-:-

Screaming. Harry could hear screaming. In his head. Screaming. Frantic Screaming. "Dad! Dad! Help me! Where are you?! _Daaad!_"

Harry desperately listened harder. Who was it? Who needed him?

"Dad! Mum! Help me, Please! He s gonna kill me! Dad! _DAAAD!"_

Harry's eyes widened. James.

"Ron! We gotta get back to the Burrow!"

"But we still got Clevedon and Nailsea to check."

"NOW, RON!"

And with that, Harry flung himself into apparition, the feeling of fear doubling in him.

-:-

"Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

Lily watched the woman quietly. Who was she talking to? She and Remus were in plain sight. The death eater looked left and right. "You can't hide forever, Miss Potter."

That's it. The woman had gone mad. Lily wasn't complaining though. If the woman couldn't see her, all the better, right? The woman growled angrily. "She's escaped!" she cried. "The Potter brat has escaped!"

A man spoke. "Great. And the Order is all over the country looking for her."

"We'll have to act fast. Catch her and kill her."

The death eaters ran past her, fear and fury painted on their faces. Lily was bemused, but relieved...then it occured to her what they said. Kill her? Oh god.

-:-

Harry apperated into the kitchen. Molly Weasley was knocked out, but unharmed. Hugo was hiding in the lounge, leaping on to Ron the moment he saw him. "Dad! It's Caleb! He's the wolf-boy! He's after J-" a scream penetrated the whole house. Silence.

-:-

James stood, staring, his wand pointed at the knocked-out were-boy. Caleb was unharmed, but James didn't understand. How would a simple stunning spell send a wild, magical beast out cold? He heard hammering feet ascend the stairway. He stared wildly at the door as Harry, Ron and Hugo appeared, looking panic stricken. The bedroom was in carnage, the furniture obliterated. Harry exhaled in relief, then lunged forward as his son fell unconscious, somehow exhausted.

-:-

Teddy padded next to Victoire. Sussex was a simple place, and being a wolf wasn't that bad... this was the first time it had happened. Teddy had a feeling it was due to the blood moon. The blood moon... Lily was running out of time. He quickened his pace slightly, Victoire suddenly having to half jog to keep up.

-:-

Lily watched them return to the camp, cussing and seething about their supposed escapee. Lily huddled against the tombstone, as if to become one with it. Anything to be as invisible as impossible. It was nearing morning, anyone could see that, the green horizon was obvious, as was the growing fear of the death eaters. They were anxious. The Potter girl should be dead! Lily choked back a sob, knowing it would give her away. The werewolf, who had finished tending to his wound, was watching her carefully. Lily waited quietly what was going to happen once dawn broke.

-:-

Noises up ahead. Teddy sniffed the air. He could smell them. Death Eaters. He growled, then charged towards them at a speed of light, Victoire tailing him as fast as she could, her long, strawberry blonde hair flying. Teddy leapt at the Death Eaters with force, werewolf instincts hitting home.

A scream issued. "AMYCUS! HELP ME!"

Teddy tore at their robes, but before he could do any real damage, they disapperated.

The moon had finally fallen over the horizon, and Teddy yelped as he felt his body crunch out and back into place. His skin seared as the fur retracted back inside his body. His finger tip shot with torture as the claws disappeared, the padded paws returning to peach coloured hands. He flexed his fingers, the shooting pain ebbing away. He turned to the graveyard, yelling "LILY! LILS! ARE YOU HERE?! ANSWER ME!"

"TEDDY!" exclaimed Lily from her tombstone. Teddy and Victoire reacted without hesitation, jumping over graves and tombs to reach the young girl. Lily and Remus looked at their saviours with beaming faces. Teddy raised an eyebrow at the young boy, who was staring at him with awe. Teddy shrugged, saying "Victoire, you help Lily, I'll get this one."

_"Diffindo."_ The shackles fell from the prisoners, and Lily leapt to her feet, hugging Teddy and Victoire with all her might. Remus hovered back, the sun was close to rising. Teddy whispered in her ear "Who's your boyfriend, Lils?"

Lily drew back, and looked to Remus, who was still gazing at the horizon. He turned and smiled at them. The sun burst though, washing them with golden beams. It blinded them momentarily as their eyes grew accustomed to the light. When they could see, no longer did a twelve year old boy stand before them, but a fully grown ghost. He smiled.

"I trust Lily is in good hands now?"

Teddy and Victoire nodded. His smiled broadened. "Good. I did as asked and kept an eye on her. Now I have to go."

"Where are you going?" asked Lily.

He raised an eyebrow. "To the inner six, I have to get back to the others, Albus still needs our help."

"You were sent here by my brother?! How did he do that?!"

Remus knelt down and looked Lily dead in the eye. "All of you, James, Albus and yourself, have powers that are extremely rare. You used yours tonight, I saw you. You'll see." He raised his head, addressing Teddy and Victiore. "Take her straight home, we're still working on getting Al to go back home, but he will when he's ready. If he gets in trouble, we'll notify the order. And Ted?"

Teddy looked at the man with confusion, his ears perked.

"We're very proud of you."

"What's that supposed to mean? Who are you?" Teddy yelled at the man, who was now fading into the sunlight.

The man smiled one last time, but remained silent. The sun rose into the sky completely, the sky challenged the beauty and radiance of a rainbow. The three stared at where the ghost had stood moment before, but now he was gone.

"Lily, do you know who he was?" Teddy asked, crouching to Lily's level.

She smiled coyly. "Yes, I do. When I first met him, he lied about his name. But then I figured it out on my own."

"And it was...?" Teddy wheedled.

Lily laughed brightly. "Remus Lupin, of course!"

* * *

_Summary for those who were completly confuddled:_

_Caleb was the were-boy from the prophecy, therefore he was destined to attack and possibly kill James. _

_Everyone was out hunting for Lily, so some of the scenes show this and how the characters are coping with the situation (I'm trying very hard to not make Ginny Mary-Sueish, but it is difficult. So I may just stick with making her a BAMF Mary-Sue.)_

_Teddy was affected by the Red Moon too - he and Victoire rescued Lily, and encountered Teddy's long deceased Dad._

_End Summary :)_

* * *

**_FUN FACTS!_**

_**-** The girl in Backwell graveyard is me, and yes my Nanna is buried there. I never knew Desmond - he died of a heart attack before I was born._

_- Yatton is where I grew up. I sang in the choir in St Mary's!_

_- I know for a fact that some of Northamptonshire's villages have loads of cemetaries because my village is home to about 1000...and there are indeed 3 cemetaries. I agree with Ron. Cheerful!_

_Also, don't expect too much Teddy/Victoire fluff. I am sticking to the material that JKR gave us for this fic - if dabbling a bit in it. But I have contorted my mind to believe that no-one should be with Teddy other than Harley Rogue; one of my uber cool OCs. Sad, I know. But still._

_With all this said and done, I give my love to you and your mothers =)_

_Queenie xx_


	7. The Deathly Hallowed

* * *

The Deathly Hallowed.

Harry sat, anxiously waiting. All the teams but one had returned, all of them empty handed. Now Harry's and Ginny's hopes, along with Lily's survival, rode with Teddy and Victoire. The suspense was agonising. James sat next to his mother, her arms wrapped round him protectively. Caleb, who had returned to his normal state, unaware of his Werewolf experience until he was told by Molly, couldn't look his cousin in the eye.

Molly gripped at Arthur's arm, her face milky white. Looking around, the same pale complexion was mirrored by her family, the hazy gold glow of sunrise bathing them in light, almost mocking them. The silence was broken only when the clock ticked. Such a quiet sound, but in the sitting room where the sat, the noise felt as loud as a bomb going off. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…The sun…now or never… James trembled under Ginny's hold. What if they were too late? What if Lily was already dead? Lily, Little Lily, his youngest sibling and only sister, whom he had promised…promised…

* * *

James stirred. Someone was crying. Al? Nah, the guy was a wimp, but the girlish sobbing wasn't his style. Al normally sounded like "WAAAAHHHH!", and the cute hiccup? Nope, not Al. Then, it must be…Lily? Little Lily? Mini Xena who never cried if she could help it? Something must be up. Crawling from his twisted duvet and slipping into his Power Ranger slippers, the little boy opened his creaky bedroom door and tiptoed over the landing, dodging the creaky floorboards, ears pricked and listening to the soft breathing and slightly louder snoring that issued from his parent's room, searching for any audible signs of wakefulness. He stopped at a door with an intricate plaque which read: LILY, the name entwined with wildflowers. It was slightly ajar, and a soft, sniffling sound could be heard from behind it. Stepping into the room, James realised what a feat this was, even as a five-year-old, Lily was hard-headed, strong-willed and kept her brothers out of her room. The magnolia walls were bathed in soft pink light, which came from Lily's bedside table. Lily's bedspread was creamy magnolia with claret red patterns of sequinned butterflies and flowers, and hanging from her four-poster bed were cream coloured, gossamer curtains, tied with neat bows to the posts of her bed. Lily sat cross-legged in her bed, dabbing her eyes with her duvet.

"Lil?" whispered James softly. Lily jumped, then scowled. "W-what are y-you doing in m-my room?! G-get ou—" She couldn't bring herself to say the rest. James noticed the fear glinting in her eyes, the kind of fear that is caused by the echoes of a nightmare that you can't quite shake, the kind of fear that would make you never want to sleep again. James plonked himself at the foot of her bed. "I heard you crying, some dream huh?"

Lily nodded, lip trembling "They kidnapped me, they were gonna kill me! And you were dead, they killed you already, and Albus was missing…and Mum was dying and Dad…Dad was going insane, screaming 'They've done nothing! They're innocent! They've never seen war in their life!' James, it scared me, those hooded faces with bright red eyes, I'm scared James…" her fresh stutters and sniffles hit James like a punch in the stomach. What kind of savage dream would do this? Lily wasn't weak, and what she described was horrifying. James wrapped an arm around her, and was glad when she didn't shrug it off, but snuggled into him, her warm tears seeping into his Transformers Pyjamas. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Ok Lils? You won't get kidnapped under my watch."

Lily's tearful eyes looked up at him, thanks and love glistening in them with the rosy light as she stuttered "You p-p-promise?"

James smiled at her, the moment was so rare, but it was something to be treasured. Lily, needing his protection, for once he could act like the big brother he was supposed to be.

"Promise."

* * *

James let the tear escape his eye. Big brother? More like big failure. Sighing, he looked to the window. The sun was getting brighter, but he could feel the room's hope fading. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick… James wanted to break the clock! Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, CRACK! The whole room jumped, then peered into the centre of the room. Victoire flipped her hair as the dust settled, her face glowing. Teddy, with his sky-blue hair with aqua and rose pink streaks, beamed at his friends. He seemed ecstatic, like Christmas had come early. Harry got to his feet quickly, like he'd been sat in an electric chair, his eyes searching them with urgency. Both Teddy and Victoire stepped aside, letting a nine-year-old girl with bright red hair bound into Harry's arms. "Dad! Mum! You're ok! You're not hurt! James! You're alive!" she sobbed with joy as Ginny and James ran to join the embrace. The holes in the family's heart were being healed, the feeling of strength and hope filling them up like a drink, this one precious moment, worth more than diamonds, sapphires and gold, rare and beautiful. James squeezed his sister tightly. A moment of peace, love…and relief.

*

Teddy grinned at his godfather's joy. He always knew Harry had known hardship and pain, he was there, fighting in the battle his parents fought in, he was there when his parents died. Teddy felt numb, but he wasn't sure if it was happiness or sadness. Moments ago, he had saved Lily, who was like a little sister to him, and then he saw his Dad, Remus Lupin. The numbness was gone, a warm feeling sprouted in his chest. His father was a handsome man, with mousey hair and wolfish, amber eyes. His face was scarred, but in the sunlight, in the breaking dawn, everything about him was radiance. Remus Lupin. The DADA Teacher, a member of the Order, a member of the legendary prankster group, The Marauders, a werewolf, but a good werewolf, a man of great strength and knowledge. Teddy smiled. We're very proud of you. The words echoed in his head, pride growing inside him. 'I wanted to be just like you, Dad, I wanted to help people and be strong in times of trouble. I'm an apprentice auror now, Mum. You'd never believe, but Harry is my teacher!' He paused his train of thought. Harry lost everything, it wasn't fair he was losing it all again. He felt Victoire squeeze his arm, and he let himself be led to the couch, where Victoire snuggled next to him. Distant music had started to play, resounding in his head. Teddy absent-mindedly stroked Victoire's hair as he thought quietly to himself.

*

Ginny stared into her firewhisky, the amber liquid shimmering in the fire light. Lily was safe, James was safe, Albus…

"He'll be fine."

She looked up to see her father watching her with kind, sympathetic eyes. Ginny frowned. "How did you.."

"I know what parental worry looks like, Ginny. I had six sons and a daughter, who were all involved in the Anti-Voldemort movement. During the war, I saw it in the mirror every day."

Ginny smiled sadly. Arthur grimaced, speak of war reminded him of their loss, of Fred. He sighed. "Love is a gift and a curse. It's precious and painful, can cause joy and sorrow, and it can kill you or save your life. Such is the way of a family."

Ginny knew what he spoke of. Lily, Harry's mother, had sacrificed herself to protect Harry. Love killed Lily, but it saved her son. Ginny nodded quietly, glancing at her own. Lily sat on Harry's shoulders, ruffling his already messy hair, whilst laughing at James below her, who's abominable dancing was taking up nearly the whole sitting room. Laughing, Ginny rubbed her chilly shoulders…wait, that wasn't right. The fire was roaring, yet it was so cold. Why was it so cold?...

The door flew open, and gusts of icy, January wind chasing throughout the house. Everyone turned to the door, where, in its wake, stood a doe, it's fur as silvery as the moon. She stepped cautiously into the room, looking around, studying everyone's faces…her eyes met with Harry's. Her eyes were inky black…

The doe transformed suddenly, mist rising from its feet, then obscuring all sight of the beast. When the milky white mist thinned, where the doe had stood was a tall, clean, handsome, yet ghostly figure of none other than Severus Snape.

"Potter." He said curtly, nodding at Harry. Harry lifted Lily from his shoulders and stood her on the floor, then nodded back at the translucent man, dumbfounded. Was that really Snape? Where was the greasy hair, the furrowed eyebrows, the permanent sneer? This Snape looked younger, handsomer, and happier and freer than he ever had been alive. The only thing which gave him away was the hooked nose. Snape turned his gaze to James and Lily, who stood side-by-side near their father. "I am Severus Snape, one of the inner six."

Lily gasped "You know where Albus is!"

Harry, alerted by his daughter's words, looked sharply at Snape. "Why are you here?"

Snape replied coolly, his eyes not leaving Lily and James. "I am here on orders to make you aware of an extremely rare event."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Go on."

Snape turned to Harry, his onyx eyes glinting. "The Deathly Hallowed have been reborn."

At Harry's confused face, Snape continued. "The Hallows weren't a means of creating the power they have, but harnessing them. The first master of death, Tidus Peverell, had 3 sons, each inheriting one of the Hallows powers. When those sons died, the powers took form as a wand, a stone and a cloak. For a long time the Hallows remained apart, but nineteen years ago a new master of death rose, and has started the cycle again." He looked at Harry with piercing eyes "Your children have the power of the Hallows."

Ginny spluttered "What?"

"Albus learnt his abilities when he was eleven, that night he went missing. He ran to the graveyard, and his pains summoned us, his inner six."

"Who exactly is the 'Inner Six'?!" called George.

"Myself, Remus and Dora Lupin, Sirius Black, James and Lily Potter. But that is the power of the resurrection stone. With the power of the Elder Wand…" he glanced at James "The possibilities are endless. I mean, with a simple stunning jinx, one could knock even a werewolf out cold."

James choked slightly. How on earth did he…

"And when gifted with the power of the cloak, you could pass undetected, right from underneath a threat's nose. Remus told us of your encounter, Miss Potter. Quite a bit of luck your powers kicked in like that." Lily nodded, her lip trembling. Harry growled slightly, then said in a soft, but deadly tone "Where is my son, Severus."

Snape sighed again, looking pained. "I was given strict order not to tell you a thing, but you're his family, and you're scared." Harry watched the spectre with interest. The Snape he knew was nowhere near as compassionate. The Snape he knew would of sneered at him and said 'Mind your own business, Potter.' It was strange to see how death had changed the man…or was it that Snape had always been like this, only he acted like he did to hide his true being, or was it simply because he had been reunited with his beloved Lily Evans? Snape inhaled, then said quickly "Albus has hidden himself in time, by use of a time turner he had Lily steal from the Ministry. We know he is hidden somewhere in the nineties, but the thing with time is that it's always moving, so you never can be sure. You have a smart son, Potter, Smart, but stupid." He added gloomily. Noticing Harry's expression, Snape continued. "Albus vows he will not return home, until the shard of darkness within him is gone. He knows you're all safe and is glad, but he sent me to severe all ties with you."

Ginny was confused. "Hang on, didn't you say you had orders to tell us about the Hallows?"

"Yes." Replied Snape, the corner of his lip curving slightly "But I didn't say from whom…" and with that, he disappeared, his form turning to dust, then blowing away in the wind…

* * *

"I am James! The super Sorcerer! My brother, the Necromancer, can talk to Ted's parents and Lily is the world's best magician's assistant!" James laughed loudly as Ginny pushed under the duvet of his bed and pressed a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm not a sequinned 'Isn't he amazing' girl!" exclaimed Lily indignantly "I didn't cry once! Not once when I was graveyard! I'm no push over, so don't forget it!"

James almost laughed at himself for thinking he was Lily's protector. The five-year-old was nine now, and even as five she was tough. Her nightmares became reality for her, and she fought til the bitter end. James believed that she didn't cry. Lily wasn't like that. But she was safe, that's all that mattered. There was only one thing left now, Albus. He had to find Albus. Once Ginny had tucked in Lily, she crossed the room to the door and said "Sleep tight, you two. Don't start honing Hallow Skills, its sleep time now!"

James rolled his eyes. Mothers, they knew everything.

* * *

Harry pressed his forehead into his palms. The Deathly Hallowed? But how?! He stared at his hands, thoughts swirling through his head. 'The Elder Wand won't end with me.' He thought grimly. A warm hand touched his shoulder. Turning, Harry's eyes met Ginny's. She'd returned from putting the children to bed. Her eyes were thankful, but worried. He knew the feeling.  
"He'll be okay, Gin." He whispered softly, brushing the hair from her eyes.

She sat next to him, letting his warm arms encase around her, soft memories from her fifth year danced in her head. Warm nights by the lake, once again, in Harry's arms, the orange sun against the indigo sky, the pine-tops a black silhouette. They had been young, and Harry's destiny was a winding, unpredictable path filled with mystery and lies, one that he wouldn't allow her to follow. The kiss he had given her the following summer seemed almost to be good bye. She had wanted to cry bitterly, but instead, joined Neville and Luna in a rebel crusade against Voldemort's followers who had overrun the castle, continuing Harry's work, as he travelled across the UK, doing works that no-one knew of, but all knew it had a purpose.

Seeing him supposedly dead in Hagrid's arms…that night in the Battle of Hogwarts, it took all of Ginny's strength not to send unforgivable curse after curse straight to Voldemort's chest. The thought of Harry, her saviour in the Chamber of Secrets, her teacher in the terrible year of Umbridge, her boyfriend whom had loved her so genuinely in her fifth year…dead…it made her blood turn cold. The numb feeling of loss she'd earned from Fred's death had trebled. Harry had been their last hope, gone to dust, swept away by the fleeting winds of life. The sight of him reappearing amidst the great brawl was nothing short of glorious. Just seeing him, breathing, radiating life…it seemed to bring Ginny back to life as well. Harry was alive! Hope was alive! And what's more, hope was invincible. Voldemort's end was certain, his reign of fear, the battle their parents, alive or not, had fought, it was finally over.

Two years later, the sweet smell of honeysuckle had wafted past Ginny's nose as she stood on the doorstep of a small cottage in the countryside of outer London. Harry's new, tiny house was laced with ivy and honeysuckle, with a shifting willow bearing upon a pond filled with lilies and frogspawn. The cottage itself was all of a kitchen-diner, a lounge with a staircase coming of it, a study, and upstairs was a bathroom and two cosy bedrooms. Harry lived with Kreacher, who had left the remains of Grimmaud Place, as Yaxley had ripped it apart, and Windil. Windil was a small, little elf, probably classed as a child in Elvic society, but never-the-less, Windil was eager to please his master. He had told Harry that his mother, Kanta, had been killed in the war when protecting the house of the Grandmother Harry never knew, Eleanor Potter. Harry learnt that his Grandmother had died when he was but nine, at the age of fifty-three, no less. An old mother, who had left her only grandson her house and its possessions, and Ginny stood before it. She remembered ringing the doorbell, and grinning as the door swung open. The familiar, black, messy mop was a welcome sight. A month later, sat in Harry's endless back garden, Harry cuddled her close, his arms embracing her…the lake…fifth year…Ginny had smiled, her hand's warming on a mug of hot chocolate. She had heard him whisper "I think my adventures are finally over."

"Sad?"

"No, relieved. It means I can finally be normal. Have friends, maybe a family…"

Ginny had raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah." He replied, She knew he was smiling at the time, she could hear it in his voice. "D'you think Pavarti would give me another chance?"

Ginny had felt like pouring her hot chocolate over his head, in spite of knowing he was joking. But instead, she had stroked her chin, saying "I don't know, your dancing was awful, and I bet she'd rather have an alive accountant for a husband than a dead daredevil."

"Do I look dead to you?"

"By my count, you could have died nine times, and should have died twice."

"Do you want me dead?"

Ginny had laughed. Harry smiled, then said "If I was dead, then I couldn't give you this." A velvet box had landed in her lap. With trembling hands, Ginny opened the box, revealing and emerald ring, goblin made, by the looks of it. The emerald was surrounded by small diamonds, and the gold band itself was cut to look like entwined ivy. It took Ginny's breath away.

Harry had laughed. "I'll take that as a yes?"

Ginny had squealed, her chocolate sopping everywhere. The air was electric, sending ripples of excitement through her spine. "Yes!" she gasped "Yes, I will!" Harry squeezed her tightly. They were engaged.

The wedding itself was incredible. Hermione as maid of honour and Ron as best man, Ginny knew her family would be confused to where they sat. As far as they were concerned, Harry always was family, but she needn't have worried. When the Weasleys filled up the Bride's side of the church, the Groom's filled with many others, including Andromeda Tonks and her grandson, little Teddy, who was Harry's Godson, Seamus, Dean, Luna, Neville, Pavarti, Padma, Lavender, Dennis Creevey, Oliver Wood, McGonagall, Slughorn, Cho, Kingsley, Ollivander, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Dedalus Diggle, and, surprisingly, a young, slightly overweight man, who Harry recognised, and realised had been dieting hard, who turned out to be Harry's only relative on his side of the church. Dudley Dursley. It was a great shock to Harry, and he doubted his cousin would stay for the party, but still, it was the thought which counted. And what's more, Harry rather enjoyed the look on Dudley's face when he saw Ginny float down the isle in her lacey, white number, her train and veil trailing four feet behind her. That night she learnt how Fleur had felt at the wedding at the burrow, when she married Bill. Only this time, there was no interruption from death eaters. Harry had been right, the moment Dudley spotted the hovering champagne bottles, he had left Harry with words of luck and new beginnings, then left the reception. Molly outdid herself with the cake, Five tiers, each representing something dear to the two of them. As the night drew on, she threw her bouquet into the air behind her, and turned to see a blushing Hermione, who was holding the bouquet gingerly in her hands, glancing at Ron, her official 'partner'. Ginny had laughed, it was only a matter of time.

Four years later, Ginny found herself in St Mungos, weary and worn, yet a proud, happy mother. Harry sat next to her, a little bundle in his arms, with soft brown eyes and a tuft of black hair.

"I want to call him James." Said Ginny hoarsely. Harry raised an eyebrow. Ginny smiled coyly. "Your dad had bravery and spirit, and he looks like him." Harry squeezed her hand.

"James it is."

Of course, two more followed, Albus a year later, and Lily two more after that. Ginny sighed into her husband's arms, reawakening from her memories. Memories, all precious, but all easily lost…just like the people she loved. Ginny pressed herself closer to Harry, reassuring herself he was still there. Harry held her tightly. Ginny was cold to the touch, but the fire seemed cool as well. Maybe it was just him, but Deathly Hallowed? Sacred powers? Harry was haunted by these thoughts, and was still pursued by them in his dreams, as he slipped into slumber, along with Ginny, unknowing what was around the next corner…

* * *

_AQ: Sorry for taking so long! The computer wouldn't let me upload my files onto ! Grrr...disobedient computer. (kicks screen angrily)_

_...(Computer dies)_

_Oh no! Come back! I didn't mean it!!! ....zzzpaksszz...co...zzzaakkspazzz...aaaaack!....zsapksszz_

_...lol_


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